


Aegis

by Kaillingme (Setty94)



Category: EXO (Band), SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Dystopia, Eventual Smut, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Science Fiction, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25130365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setty94/pseuds/Kaillingme
Summary: You must never show your face, hide behind the mask always. If they see you, they will kill you.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongin | Kai
Comments: 8
Kudos: 18
Collections: Challenge #4 — Into the Future





	Aegis

**Author's Note:**

> Hi this is a snippet of a much larger work, I hope you enjoy this preview~

Jongin slipped the cool surface of the mask over his face and stared at his reflection. The bone white porcelain had tiny spidering cracks in it across the cheekbones and near the eye holes. It was just a temporary mask, given to him when he requested resizing due to his personal mask chaffing his jaw, but it left him unnerved to have such a bland and expressionless mask stare back at him from the mirror. He just needed to wear it to the Mask Maker’s shop and he could finally have his own back.

Jongin nodded at a passerby, locking eyes with them and noting that their mask was mouthless. It was something that he had seen cropping up more frequently these days and he assumed it was a kind of fashion statement. Most masks, however, usually had the general features of a human face: eyes, nose, and mouth. The eyes were hollowed out so that people could see, and small holes were placed in the nose section for breathing, but most simply chose a general emotion for the mouth and stuck with it. 

This shaped the way that people reacted to them. If you chose a positive emotion for the mask then people were more likely to share that and be more open to conversing. However, if your mask wore an angry or otherwise negative emotion, often times, you were ignored. It was the expressionless and utterly unique ones that stole Jongin’s attention, because he wanted to know what made them choose such a mask.

The man continued to walk pass him and Jongin had to turn his head to watch him disappear around the corner, a crown of blonde hair swaying in the wind. 

He entered the Mask Maker’s shop and was greeted by a small bell tinkling overhead and several people milling about. There was a child with her parents, pointing to one of the government issued masks for children and wishing to try it on. She must have just turned ten as her own cartoonish cat mask was being traded in for a more sleek pale yellow. 

The Mask Maker reappeared from a door behind the counter nodded at Jongin as they made eye contact. 

“You are here to pick up, aren’t you?”

Jongin nodded his head and glanced away. The Mask Maker was also wearing a mask without a mouth and Jongin felt a small chill run down his spine. It was like the man from outside, but instead of being made from a thin sheet of veined ivory colored marble with gold trimming around the perimeter and eyes, the Mask Maker’s mask was a deep gaunt purple.

“Let me scan your eyes and I’ll go and grab your resized mask,” The Mask Maker said. He lifted the retina scanner from behind the counter and Jongin leaned in, eyes held open by force of habit as the red line identified him.

The retina scanners were a technology left behind whoever had inhabited the city before and Jongin’s people simply adapted to it. 

“Ah, Kim Jongin, your mask was just finished a few hours ago. It’s always been one of my favorites.” The Mask Maker chirped. If Jongin could see his face, he would assume that the man was smiling, but instead he saw bright eyes and a mouthless expression. Unnerving.

Jongin tapped his fingers on the counter as the Mask Maker spun on his heel and disappeared through the door. He noticed a few eager teenagers talking amongst themselves about the masks that they would choose and when they quieted down, Jongin turned back to the counter.

In the Mask Maker’s hands was perhaps the most beautiful of all masks. It was golden, features molded to fit Jongin’s exact proportions and laced with ivory filigree pumped into an intricate pattern carved into the shiny surface. Diamond-cut opal dotted the end of each spiral as they spidered over the surface of the mask, stopping just under the bottom edge of the eyes.

Jongin smiled, happy to see what he knew as  _ his  _ face. He gingerly took it in his hands, thumb running over the smooth surface of the jaw and feeling the dips of each vein of ivory and peak of opal. This was his mask. In all its opulence, it shined and glittered as he turned it over examining the soft felt that lined the inside. Every rise and fall of the perfectly sculpted valleys felt like home to Jongin’s fingers.

“You know where the fitting rooms are,” the Mask Maker said, gesturing to the back of the store and Jongin tapped the counter again, as a symbol of his thanks.

Once inside the fitting room, he sighed and pulled the velcro that held the mask on his face off. Eyes still trained on the temporary mask, he placed it next to his own and then glanced up, shame filling him while his face was exposed.

He glanced at his mask, picking it up and examined it once more. Beautiful was never a strong enough word, but it was the one that came to Jongin’s head the most. He wanted to be seen by the people of his city as who his mask purported him to be and not the snaking doubt that lurked in his mind. Because, while he could objectively see that he was an attractive individual, beauty was only mask deep.

He raised the mask to his face and fastened it, a sense of ease settle over him and all negative thoughts left his mind. He felt safe, secure, and most of all, he felt good. He admired his appearance in the mirror for a few moments until he felt eyes on him.

He thought he'd been alone.

“Don’t scream,” said a voice from behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii~ If you've liked this so far, let me know what you want to see in the future :3


End file.
